Uzbekistan is the most historically-fascinating of the Central Asian republics. Within it are some of the oldest towns in the world, turquoise domes, minarets and a multitude of preserved relics of the Silk Road’s treasures. The Ferghana Valley, surrounded by mountains, still produces silk and is well worth visiting for its friendly bazaars and landscape of cotton fields, mulberry trees and fruit orchards. Uzbekistan's mountain ranges draw hikers, cyclists and cross-country skiers, while skilled mountaineers come to climb some of the highest peaks in the world. Uzbekistan is ripe for adventure.